Irish Arts Review

The Locks at EdenderryAuthor(s): Peter MurraySource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 29, No. 2 (SUMMER [JUNE - AUGUST 2012]), p. 144Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23278210 .

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COLLECTIONS

CURATOR'S CHOICE

The Locks at Edenderry

Peter Murray selects a landscape by John Luke, a recent donation to the

Crawford Art Gallery, Cork

1 JOHN LUKE (1906-1975) THE LOCKS AT EDENDERRY 1935 oil on board 44x61 cm ©The Estate of John Luke

The

steady development of Cork as a city of culture has been

greatly enhanced by the recent

announcement of the donation of

thirty-nine masterpieces from the AIB

Art Collection to the State, to become

part of the permanent collection at

the Crawford Art Gallery. One of the

highlights of the donation is John Luke's finely painted view of The

Locks at Edenderry, a scene depicting

the Lagan Canal near Belfast. This

characteristic painting by Luke evokes

both the beauty of the Ulster country

side and also its industrial heritage.

The painting is important also, as it is

the first work by Luke to enter the

Crawford Gallery collection.

The painting depicts a canal with

mill buildings in the distance. The

forms of buildings, lock, clouds and

trees have been simplified and styl

ized, while the use of colour is also

carefully considered. Luke has created

a timeless Arcadian image, where

everything exists in harmony: the

angular lock gates are complemented

by the softer forms of the trees, while

the white mill buildings are reflected

in the still waters of the Lagan. Much

of the original Lagan Canal is now

1935, when Luke painted this sylvan

scene, Edenderry had become a quiet

backwater. However in recent years,

with the building of the Lagan Weir and a canal restoration programme,

it has now been revitalized. The mill

shown in the background of the

painting was Edenderry Mills, origi

nally a flour mill and later a bleach

ing green belonging to Robert Howie

&c Co. After 1860 it became a cotton

flax mill and was known as St Ellen's.

Today, Edenderry is a place of great

charm and beauty, preserving much of

the atmosphere evoked by Luke in

this fine painting. Born in Belfast in 1906, Luke's early

years were spent working in the ship

yards and linen works of his native

city. His artistic career is said to have

commenced with his painting a mural

of William of Orange on a gable wall, in the 'traditional and approved man

ner'. Like several other Northern Irish

artists, Luke linked his work in the

design studios of the linen trade with

attending evening classes at the Belfast

College of Art. He won a scholarship

to the Slade School in London, where

he met fellow Ulster artist F E

McWilliam, and for a time they shared

a studio. Returning to Belfast in 1931,

Luke continued to develop his idiosyn

cratic technique. His style of painting

was precise and exacting, combining

elements of Surrealism, Precisionist

painting, and Symbolism. He also

LUKE HAS CREATED A TIMELESS ARCADIAN IMAGE, WHERE EVERYTHING EXISTS IN HARMONY

lost, having been covered over by the

MI motorway, but restoration work

in recent years has re-opened sections

for navigation. The Lagan Navigation

dates from the 18th century, and orig

inally extended from Stranmillis

through Lisburn to Lough Neagh. By

experimented with egg tempera as a

binding medium, a technique used in

medieval and Renaissance art. His

best-known work is a mural commis

sioned for Belfast City Hall, depicting the life and history of the city. ■

Peter Murray is Director of the Crawford art Gallery, Cork.

144 IRISH ARTS REVIEW I SUMMER 2012

CURATOR'S CHOICE

The Locks at Edenderry

Peter Murray

1 JOHN LUKE (1906-1975) THE LOCKS AT EDENDERRY 1935 oil on board 44x61 cm ©The Estate of John Luke

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